


Enchantment

by Caiti (Caitriona_3)



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), Thor (Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bad Things Happen Bingo, Bucky Barnes Bingo 2019, Hurt/Comfort, Other, WinterHawk Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-05
Updated: 2019-09-05
Packaged: 2020-10-10 07:55:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,985
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20524574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Caitriona_3/pseuds/Caiti
Summary: An unexpected attack on the lab might just lead to some surprising revelations.





	Enchantment

**Author's Note:**

> And another bingo fic:
> 
> Autumn cocktail – Autumn smash  
Winterhawk – G5 – "I never miss"  
Bucky Barnes – U1 – Secret admirer  
Bad Things – N3 – Pinned down by wreckage  
Hurt/Comfort – G2 – Healers  
Good Things – O1 – Cared for when sick/injured  
As the Saying Goes – N2 – “Good things come to those who wait.”

[ ](https://imgur.com/muxudcR)

“Back in the Land of Enchantment,” Darcy sighed. She sat in a lawn chair on the roof of their old lab. Looking over the remains of the town, she repressed a wince. The place still looked like a chewed-up, and burned up, ghost town. Despite a ‘private organization’ stepping in to help the survivors of Loki’s attack, the citizens decided to take their assistance and move elsewhere. She couldn’t blame them for not coming back. “Enchantment, defined as a feeling of great pleasure, delight . . . yeah, right.”

She mentally repeated – Ghost. Town.

It did make their current situation easier though. With nobody around, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Stark Industries could set up all the craziness they wanted without worrying about secrecy, cover stories, and non-disclosure forms. Personally she preferred Manhattan, but then again, she might enjoy a few days away. Between Jane’s scientific genius and Thor’s attachment to both of them, they’d become a hot commodity in the world after the battle of New York. Everybody wanted to work with them and quite a few hero groupies tried to stalk their movements. Not only did it worry their nominal bosses, but it tended to put Jane in a pissy mood.

“You sound less than enthused,” her bodyguard for the day noted as he did his own visual sweep of the town. Usually she hated having someone shadow her all over the place – or maybe it only bothered her when S.H.I.E.L.D. did the assigning. Given Jane’s place as a girlfriend of an Avenger, they decided to handle the women’s security on this outing and she couldn’t say she hated it. 

Talk about enchantment though . . . James Buchanan ‘Bucky’ Barnes and Clint Barton could guard her body anytime. 

And today the task fell to Bucky. “Not happy to be back at your old stomping grounds?”

“What can I say, handsome?” She sent him a flirty smile as she lifted her wine cooler in a toast. “Guess I got too used to all the conveniences of the city at my fingertips.”

“Sure that’s all it is?”

“I think she misses sassing Stark.”

“Well, well, well, aren’t I the lucky girl?” Turning her head to send coy look over her shoulder, she met the amused eyes of their resident archer. “Two Avengers all to myself.” Arching an eyebrow, she took a careful look behind him. “But aren’t you supposed to be keeping an eye on my wayward scientist?”

“Maybe I missed your sparkling wit,” he teased. “There’s only so much enjoyment to be had listening to Doc Jane muttering imprecations at her machines as she pulls out the duct tape.”

Tossing back her head, she laughed. “Glad I got to skip that part.” When he paused, she sighed. “What?”

“Hate to break it to you, but she sent me up here to bring you down,” he admitted. “She wants to start setting up for tonight and whatever readings she’s taking.”

“So she needs the monkey to come push the big red button.” Darcy rolled her eyes. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” Swinging her legs over to the side, she began to stand up . . . then paused as Bucky held out a hand to help her up. “Why, thank you, sir!” she chirped in her best Southern girl accent.

He pulled her up, but refused to let go when she turned to head for the ladder. “You’re not just a lab monkey,” he noted, his voice soft and deep with some intense emotion.

“I know, but it’s sometimes hard to tell when Jane’s on a science kick.” And damn, but could he please not be quite so sexy? Her imagination didn’t need any more fodder, thank you – especially given his connection to the equally hot guy watching them. Forcing her thoughts away from the _hopefully_ secret crush she held for both men, she made herself grin. “Then she goes on a tequila-and-karaoke bender with me and I remember why I adore her.”

“Doll,” he began, but she reached up to pat his cheek.

“Don’t worry about me and Jane, good looking,” she laughed. “We’ve got a sister thing going on. I make her just as crazy.” When she turned, she found herself face to face with Clint. Color crawled up her neck – she could just feel it. “Okay, hot shot, I’m seriously getting you a bell on your next birthday.”

“Going to try and put a collar on me, Darce?”

“I was thinking of a ribbon,” she managed as the image ran through her mind, “but whatever floats your boat.” Sidestepping him and his potent focus, she scurried for the door to the lab. Having Bucky and Clint as their security detail for the next week would be a double-edged sword, she could already tell. Just being in the Tower with them fed her attraction . . . and at least there she could find multiple distractions to try and remind herself that she should leave the happily committed couple be. 

Alone with them in the desert, with their only ‘chaperone’ being an inattentive scientist?

Oh, she was in so much trouble!

“Jane?” Darcy climbed down the ladder, eyes sweeping the room to look for her best friend-slash-boss. She didn’t see the woman, but if Jane crawled under one of her babies, then she could be anywhere. 

“Darcy! Come look at this!”

Sure enough, the muffled voice came from somewhere in the guts of a machine. “I’m coming.” She shook her head as she wove her way through the organized chaos Jane called a lab set up. Her sense of order drove Stark a little crazier than normal and Bruce avoided their labs whenever possible, but Darcy had long since gotten used to things. Plus it kept most people from finding the most important details of Jane’s work. Her lips curved as she remembered the sheer frustration of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s science department when it came to figuring out her filing system.

Served them right.

“What’s she doing?” Clint muttered, his voice right in her ear, making her jump. 

“Bell!” Darcy spun, her hand smacking out. “Make a _little_ noise please!” At the sound of soft laughter, she pointed over his shoulder without looking. “And you hush! You’re just as bad. I swear, one day the two of you are going to give me heart failure! Of the not-fun sort!”

She found herself the focus of intense blue eyes. “There’s such a thing as good heart failure?”

“Darcy!” Jane called out again.

“Of course,” she shrugged, offering Clint a distracted smile before turning to head towards Jane. “The kind that comes with heart-stopping sex.” _Did I **really** just say that?_ Her mouth needed a leash or a gag or a . . . and maybe that’s not where her brain should be going right now! A blush returning to her cheeks, she focused on finding Jane.

Before she moved more than a couple of steps, something flashed outside the window and she glanced over to see a streak of light. Her eyes narrowed. Whatever it was, it looked like it might be headed in their direction. 

“What the hell?”

Even as she began to shift, the air around her seemed to explode. Her arms flew up to shield her face as she thought she heard a multi-layered voice shouting her name. She couldn’t tell – any other noises got lost in a cacophony of sounds: rending metal, shattering glass, and a heart-stopping scream. Who screamed? Jane? Her? Panic began setting in as her lungs refused to draw in air.

Then came a burst of pain followed by darkness and silence.

Discomfort came first, the throbbing of her legs and back dragging her out of the comfortable blackness. Darcy didn’t know if she **wanted** to wake up. If the pain already bugged her this much, how much worse would it be when she reached full consciousness? Not that her body gave a damn. It clawed its way towards wakefulness and dragged her brain along with it – step by agonizing step. Why, why, why, why, why . . . that’s all she wanted to know. Why did she have to wake up?

Sounds began to filter back in . . . people talking and moving things around. Despite her strong desire to stay asleep, Darcy strained her ears, listening for voices she knew. Why couldn’t she hear the guys or Jane? 

Okay, so now a different form of concern bubbled up in her gut and she forced herself to crawl towards waking.

Find the guys.

Find Jane.

Get a damn painkiller.

Those three goals centered her stubborn willpower and she concentrated on opening her eyes. She moaned at the force it required, but she finally managed to drag her eyelids up. Light and dust and pieces of paper swirled in some kind of hazy blur over her head. When none of her people appeared in her line of sight, she tried to sit up.

A cry tore from her throat as she felt a stabbing pain in her chest.

“Darcy!” 

Movement somewhere over her head erupted at her cry and she saw a shadow moving on the ground. Then a figure dropped down on the ground beside her. Bruised and bloody, but all in one gorgeous piece, Clint smiled down at her. “Hey, don’t move, okay?”

“Hotshot,” she murmured, her shoulders relaxing. Moisture welled up in her eyes, blurring her vision further.

“I’m here.” He touched her temple, fingertips brushing down to her cheek. Concern darkened his face, but she stared at him, taking strength from his presence. “Stay still. We’ve got to dig you out of the wreckage and that’ll take a few minutes.”

“Others?” Darcy moistened her lips and coughed. The movement drew a small sound of distress. A couple of tears leaked from the corners of her eyes. 

“Easy, honey,” he soothed. Reaching out of sight, he managed to get a glass of water. Clint held her head up just enough to let her get a sip or two. “You got the worst of it,” he told her, only half answering her main question. “Jane’s got a few scrapes, but nothing major.”

“’Kay.” Much as she appreciated the information, that didn’t give her all of the details she wanted to know. She closed her eyes and took a breath, keeping it shallow as her ribs hurt too much for more. Then, looking up at him once more, she tried to put her fear into her eyes. “You?” she pressed. “Bucky?”

Warmth overtook the worry in his own gaze. “We’re both fine, sweetheart,” he assured her. “Bloody and bruised, but nothing that won’t heal.” Clint brushed his thumb over her cheek. “We won’t even pick up any new scars.”

“Promise?”

“Cross my heart.”

“Good.” Her eyes grew heavy and she could feel the darkness reaching for her again. If all of them were okay, then she could go back to sleep, right?”

“Darcy?” 

Blinking at the anxiety in his voice, she shoved the shadows away and found his face a lot closer to her own than before. “God, you’re gorgeous.”

“I think you’ve got us mixed up.” His hand cupped her cheek.

“Nuh uh.” The pounding in her head reminded her why shaking it would be a bad idea. “Bucky’s sexy too.” She sighed and made a face. “Both totally crush-worthy . . . and taken. Yay for you and sucks for me.”

Clint glanced at someone outside of her vision and grinned. “Hear that?”

“I did.” Another shadow moved over her before Bucky crouched on her other side. “And I’m thinking we’ll need to have a long talk – all three of us – when we’re sure she’s over the concussion.”

“Concussion?” she repeated, looking at both of them in confusion.

“Yeah, doll, you’ve got one.” Bucky brushed back a lock of her dark hair. “We need you to stay awake, okay?”

“Talk to me?”

“We can do that.”

And talk they did. 

Bucky explained the situation – some lunatic fringe science group wanted to steal Jane’s work – as well as why neither of them were currently in charge of her best friend. Apparently Thor had Heimdall keeping an eye on both of them and the big guy got pissed when they were targeted. He’d arrived with all the Bifrost bridge glory and proceeded to inform their attackers of his displeasure personally. Then he took charge of Jane, promising to keep her out of the way while S.H.I.E.L.D. dug Darcy out of the damaged building.

For his part, Clint told her stories – some from his work as a spy and others about the Avengers. He described the funniest cover stories Natasha created for them as well as talking about the insane shots he’d pulled off with his bow. When she expressed mild disbelief – the most she could manage right now – over some of the shots he talked about, a smug grin etched its way over his face. “Honey, I never miss.”

“Humble, isn’t he?” Bucky snorted.

In spite of the welcome distraction, tears streamed down Darcy’s face by the time they finished digging her out of the rubble. The medics did a quick triage before they finally - _finally_ \- gave her a painkiller strong enough to send her tumbling back into the dark. She took the feel of hands holding her with her into that comforting blackness. 

The next time she woke, she drifted up from unconsciousness . . . nothing seemed to hurt anymore. Everything felt soft and comfortable, like being wrapped in her favorite quilt in her own bed. Dragging her eyes open, she blinked with hazy contentment at the ceiling of the room. Sure, the whole place smelled like a hospital, but she didn’t feel that throbbing pain. 

Win for her.

“Hey, there are those beautiful eyes.”

“Hmm.” Darcy turned her head and found Clint sitting beside her. A small butterfly bandage decorated one eyebrow and a large bruise covered one side of his jaw, but his grin remained strong and steady. “Heya, Hotshot.”

“Did I get downgraded from ‘gorgeous’?” 

She blinked at him. “What?” she started and then stopped as a vague memory played through her mind. “Oh, my God.” Heat burned her cheeks as she closed her eyes. What the hell had she told them?

“Darcy.”

Understanding filled his voice . . . and didn’t that just make it worse? “Can we forget all of that?” she muttered.

“Come on, honey, look at me.”

It took her longer than it should have, but after a couple of minutes, she managed to look up into his earnest gaze. “I . . . sorry?”

“For what?” Clint tilted his head as he wrapped his hand around her arm. “For letting us know what you thought? Or for giving us hope that maybe our fascination wasn’t one sided?” Her lips parted, but he continued before she could speak. “You’ve got to be the most beautiful woman – inside and out – that we’ve ever met . . . and we’d like to see if we could explore that attraction a little bit more.”

“But . . .” She shook her head. “Bucky?”

“Is on the same page.”

Turning her head, she watched as a shadow detached itself from a dark corner, resolving into her second crush. Bucky kept his eyes on her as he circled the bed to stand beside Clint, one hip leaning against her bed. He reached down to take her hand. “We still plan to have that talk with you when the doctors cut you loose from here.” 

“I . . .” Her words failed her. She didn’t know what to think as the two men watched her. Was she dreaming? After all the time she’d spent admiring them from a distance . . . and now they seemed to be pursuing her? In her mind, she’d long ago resigned herself to friendship and nothing more.

A hand touched her hair and she looked up into Bucky’s understanding eyes. “Don’t worry so much, sweetheart.”

“I just never expected . . .” Again she couldn’t finish her thought and waved a hand at the two of them. “You two have been . . . well, **you** since I got here and I never even got a clue that you might even be . . . interested.” 

“You’ve got to be the only one who missed it,” Clint chuckled. “Tasha’s threatened to dump us all on an island somewhere.”

“What?”

“Steve offered to fly us,” Bucky added. “Damn punk kid.”

“Say what?” Shock, surprise, and maybe a smidge of embarrassment colored her voice. “But . . . you never said anything!”

“Doll, we didn’t know what **you** thought,” he pointed out. “It’s not the easiest thing to ask someone to be a third.” His fingers curled over hers. “Hell, some people get downright insulted at the very idea.”

“We have got to work on our communication,” she murmured. “Then maybe none of us would have taken so long.”

“Good things come to those who wait,” Clint pointed out, “but I think maybe we can start moving forward, don’t you?” His hand tightened on her arm even as he leaned his shoulder against Bucky’s arm. “At least explore the idea?”

Darcy stared at them in silence. She wanted to jump at this chance, to throw aside all caution and go for it, but . . . she also didn’t want to risk the friendship they’d built. After a couple of long minutes, during which they waited in their sniper-still patience, she bit her lip and nodded. “Okay,” she agreed, proud at how steady she kept her voice. “I want to try.”

Relief filled both men’s faces and Clint leaned down to press a kiss to her temple. “It’s going to work,” he told her with quiet confidence. “I know it.” Bucky didn’t say a word, just locked his eyes on her as he lifted her hand to brush a kiss over the back of her fingers.

As they settled into seats beside her to wait for the doctor, she felt hope welling up inside her. Maybe, just maybe, she could change her mind about believing in enchantment . . . when it came to them anyway.

**Author's Note:**

> **Autumn Smash**
> 
> _Ingredients_  
2 oz VDKA 6100 vodka  
.5 oz lemon juice  
.75oz maple syrup  
1.5 oz fuji apple juice  
1 fig, muddled  
3 leaves Thai basil
> 
> _Instructions_  
Muddle the fig and basil, add remaining ingredients, add ice, shake, strain over fresh ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with two basil leaves and half a fig.


End file.
